Failing our minorities
TWELVE-YEAR-OLD Zarviya left her home in Rawalpindi with a couple known to her family, who said they would take her to buy a Mother’s Day gift for her mother. She…
Minorities as citizens
“ARTICLE 260(3) of the Constitution though declares the Ahmedis/Qadianis as non-Muslims, it neither disowns them as citizens of Pakistan nor deprives them of their entitlement to the fundamental rights guaranteed…
The plight of the minorities
August 11, 2024 was ‘celebrated’ as Minorities Day, as has been the custom now since 2009. The date, August 11, was chosen to mark Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s address to…
Religious minorities’ woes
Amidst all the kerfuffle about general elections looming on the horizon, our attention has been diverted (inadvertently or deliberately?) from the continuing plight of religious minorities in our society. Consider.…
The welfare of minorities
EACH year, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom publishes its annual report, which normally includes a chapter on Pakistan. In its 2022 report, the Commission focused on blasphemy and…
‘Minorities’ and their rights
Talking about minority rights is essentially an attempt to change the world for future generations; how societies treat their minorities often reflects their ideals for the future. We can mimic…
In Britain, virus hits ethnic minorities hardest
When Amer Awan’s father died of coronavirus, mourners congregated with little thought of social distancing. But cultural practices alone do not explain why Britain’s ethnic minorities have been hardest hit…
Murdering minorities
In a bold and defiant recent book, This Land Is Our Land: An Immigrant’s Manifesto (2019), Suketu Mehta has written a deeply erudite defence of global migrants and refugees who…
On minorities – Part I
Until earlier this year, Imran Ali Chishti’s fame was restricted to a small quarter of Nankana Sahib, and the 79 followers on his YouTube channel. Chishti, whose channel features a…
The future of minorities
Protests against the amended Citizenship Act introduced by Indian PM Narendra Modi’s government continue to grow and intensify in India. Although this bill is against Muslims, there is hope, as…
